(GERMAN) 7. Nityananda Gauranga Naam Cintamani (8)

(36) nitai gaura naam tattva sarva sadhana sara, acarana kare jo mahamaya para.

�Die h�chste philosophische Wahrheit der Herrlichkeit des Chantens der heiligen Namen von Nityananda und Gauranga ist der Kern aller spirituellen �bungen. Jemand, der das spirituelle Prinzip des vergehenslosen Chantens der heiligen Namen von Nityananda und Gauranga annimmt, bleibt zuverl�ssig dem Einfluss der illusionierenden materiellen Energie fern.�

(37) nitai gaura naam mahima ananta apara, nirantara sravana se sraddha ka sara.

�Die unendliche Herrlichkeit der heiligen Namen von Nityananda und Gauranga ist grenzenlos und unbeschreiblich. Ohne immerzu und t�glich von der g�ttlichen Herrlichkeit dieser heiligen Namen zu h�ren, kann niemand je die heiligen Namen von Nityananda und Gauranga mit echtem Vertrauen und �berzeugung chanten.�

(38) kali yuga me jo mukha se bole eka bara, nitai gaura naam vahi pujya sreshtha sara.

�Im Kalizeitalter sind diejenigen (Kanishtha Bhaktas), welche auch nur einmal die heiligen Namen von Nityananda und Gauranga mit ihren Mund aussprechen, h�herrangig als alle anderen, und m�ssen in der Gesellschaft von jedermann respektiert und verehrt werden.�

(39) nitai gaura naam mukha se nirantara gana, vo vaishnava sreshtha bhajo vo carana.

�Diese seltenen und fortgeschrittenen Gottgeweihten (Madhyama Bhaktas), welche ohne Unterbruch die heiligen Namen von Nityananda und Gauranga chanten und singen, nachdem sie Ihre Herrlichkeit verstanden haben, sind noch h�her als diejenigen, welche nur manchmal chanten, und deshalb sollten ihre Lotusf�sse ehrerbietend von der ganzen Menschheit verehrt werden.�

(40) jinake darsana se mukha se nikale gauranga naam, unako jano kali yuga me vaishnava pradhana.

�Der letztendliche und h�chste Gottgeweihte (Uttama Bhakta), der das ganze Kalizeitalter reinigt, ist derjenige, durch dessen blossen Anblick andere mit dem Chanten und Singen der heiligen Namen von Nityananda und Gauranga anfangen.�

Comment on this Post

Re: Shri Snana Yatra Public Bathing in Puri Today

From Chapter 7 of Embankment of Separation
By Shrila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

According to Skanda Purana, the Jyestha Purnima, or the full moon day of the month of Jyestha (May-June), is the birthday of Jagannath. Jagannath is Krishna, but Krishna’s birthday is Janmastami, the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadra. Therefore, when it is said that the Jyestha Purnima is Jagannath’s birthday, it is understood that on that day Krishna appeared in His form with big dilated eyes, a round face and His hands and legs shrunken. This is known as mahabhava-prakasa, or the ecstatic manifestation of Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra.

Krishna and Balarama are the sons of Vasudeva. Krishna’s mother is Devaki, and Balarama, His elder brother, is the son of Rohini. Their sister Subhadra is the daughter of Vasudeva and Devaki. So They are brothers and sister and They appeared in Their forms as Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra in Purusottama Kshetra.

Because Jyestha Purnima is the birthday of Jagannath, on that day He takes public bath along with His brother and sister. This festival is known as snana-yatra, and hundreds of pots of water are poured over Them. Because of this, Jagannath’s color fades away and for fifteen days He will not give darsana. This is known as anavasara. During this time He will be painted with new colors, therefore He cannot give darsana. It is generally said that Jagannath falls sick, but that is not correct. The people say this, but it is not mentioned in the scriptures such as Skanda Purana. Sastra says that during these fifteen days His wooden form, carved out of neem wood, is repainted. Another name for Lord Jagannath is Daru-brahma. ‘Daru’ means wood. So a thin piece of cloth is pasted over that murti. The old cloth is removed during this period and replaced with a new cloth on which the new colors are painted. Then, one day prior to Ratha-yatra, Jagannath gives darsana in His fresh color and young appearance, known as nava-yauvana vesa. This is how it is described in the Skanda Purana.

JAGANNATHA’S ELEPHANT DRESS

From Sri Krishna Kathamrita issue 4

Hati means “elephant.” The full moon day of the month of Jyestha is the occasion of Lord Jagannatha’s snana-yatra or bathing festival. In the afternoon and evening of this day Lord Jagannatha wears an elephant dress. In the Oriya “Daryata Bhakti”, a famous devotional book about Lord Jagannatha, the following story is given:

In the village of Kaniyariin the South Indian state of Karnataka lived a devotee of Ganesa known as Ganapati Bhata. He once came to Puri to see Lord Jagannatha’s snana-yatra festival. Upon his arrival he saw Daru-brahma, Lord Jagannatha, as Krishna. Unhappy at not seeing seeing his worshipable Ganesa, he thought, “Jagannatha is said to be Daru-brahma, the transcendent Supreme Lord in whom is contained all incarnations and demigods. Not seeing Ganesa here in Jagannatha, how can I accept this as true?” Lord Jagannatha is known as vancha-kalpataru, or the fullfiller of the desires of His devotees. He became happy seeing the one-pointed faith of this devotee for Ganesh and He manifested Himself like an elephant, gajanana-rupa. According to the prayer of this ganapati-bhakta, in order to establish His position as vancha-kalpataru, as long as the moon and the sun are in this universe Jagannatha will accept this dress on the auspicious snana-yatra day. From that day until now every year on the day of snana-yatra, when Jagannatha and Baladeva sit on the snana-vedi, the bathing platform, they dress like Ganesa. And putting many lotus flowers around the face of Subhadra Devi, the pandas dress her in the padma vesa, or lotus dress. This seva is carried out by the head priest of the Sri Gopal Tirtha Math.

Some pandas give another explanation of the hati-vesa, saying that on one occasion Krishna and Balarama dressed up as elephants in order to make the gopis laugh.

Comment on this Post

NITAAI Gaudiya Math Photos

Nityananda!! Gauranga!! Hare Krishna!! This topic will contain photos of the NITAAI Gaudiya Math complex in Puri. For all other full-size high quality photos of NITAAI Gaudiya Math, check here.

Original Full Size











Daaso'smi, BR Sadhu Swami Gaurangapada.

Comment on this Post

Shri Snana Yatra Public Bathing in Puri Today

Today is Shri Snana Yatra, the divine and merciful public bathing of Lord Jagannatha on His most holy birthday. This is the time when all non-Hindu devotees can see the Lord face to face to their hearts' content. He apeared floating as 3 wooden logs in the ocean at Chakra Tirtha around 1.6 billion years ago. He will be worshiped in Puri for the remaining 50 years of Brahma which is our earthly 150 trillion years.

Snana Yatra or the Lord Jagannatha's bathing festival which takes place 14 days before Shri Ratha Yatra Festival. During the 14 days period, the temple remains closed for Darshana on the plea that Jagannatha Swami has caught a cold. It also enables the Deities to be repainted, or renewed. Still others say that the reason that Lord Jagannatha feigns sickness is to take a break from the thousands and thousands of people who visit Shri Puri Dhama everyday, most of who are asking, "Lord Jagannatha, please fulfill my desires, give me this, give me that." So Lord takes it easy for a couples of weeks before the Ratha Yatra, and along with His brother and sister They peacefully enjoy fine sweet preparations and nectar drinks made cream, molasses and invigorating herbs.

Snana Yatra is when the Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Deities are bathed. Snana means "bathing." This is done on Jyestha Purnima. The main Deities along with Sudarshana disc are bought to the snana mandapa (a platform in front of the temple). Around mid-day 108 pots of water are poured on the Deities from a sacred well which is dear to the goddess Sitala. An emissary of the king of Orissa ceremonially sweeps the platform. Then elephant-head masks are put on the Deities. This is their Ganesh vesha. The Deities are then offered cooked food and an arati is perform. This is the only time in a year that the public can see a food offering to the Deities. The Deities go back into the temple in a procession and stay in seclusion for 15 days. The Deities are placed in a semi-reclining position in the hallway between the inner and outer sanctum.

The word Anavasara is used when Shri Jagannathaji cannot be seen in the temple. After the bathing ceremony. Lord Jagannatha is supposed to become sick. He is therefore removed to His private chambers. During the Anavasara festival, it is said that Lord Jagannatha suffers from fever; and is offered an infusion of drugs represented by fruit juice. The dayita servants take care of Lord Jagannatha from the time of Snana Yatra up to the time the Lord is carried from His throne to the Ratha Yatra carts. They sleep and stay with the Deities.

This 15 day resting and renovation period is also called Nibhrita, in honor of the solitary place where the Supreme goddess of fortune lives. Lord Jagannatha lives there in seclusion enjoying svakiya rasa in the company of His wife, Lakshmi. Then He asks Her permission lo leave and comes out for His Rathayatra chariot festival.

The body of Lord Jagannatha having been washed needs repainting. This is known as Anga-Raga. This is done by the daityas. It takes about two weeks to complete the painting of Lord Jagannatha's body. The renovation festival is also called Nava-Yauvana, which indicates that the Jagannatha Deity is being fully restored to youth.

Netrotsava (Reappearance) is when after two weeks absence, Lord Jagannatha reappears. At sunrise, fifteen days after the bathing ceremony the Deities have recovered from their cold and are placed in front of the inner sanctum in a reclining posi�tion. They have been totally repainted, except their eyes. At this time the eyes of the Deities are painted by their respective priests and the normal worship in the temple is resumed, except the Deities are still reclining.

Alalanatha is also known as Brahmagiri. This place is about 14 miles from Jagannatha Puri and is also on the beach. There is a temple of Lord Jagannatha there and a very large stone slab containing the imprint of Lord Gauranga's transcendental body. The stone melted while the Lord lay their in ecstacy.

When Lord Jagannatha retires after His bathing ceremony for two weeks, Lord Gauranga becomes very unhappy because He can't see Lord Jagannatha. Due to separation from Lord Jagannatha, Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu gave up all association and went to Alalanatha temple. The Puri devotees came there requesting Lord Gauranga to return because all the devotees were coming from Bengal to see Him. Lord Gauranga would often come here during the fortnight when Lord Jagannatha remained in seclusion before the Ratha Yatra festival.

Shri Snana Yatra Pastimes of Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu in Shri Jagannatha Puri Dhama from Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita by Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami. Translations and Purport by Shrila Prabhupada:

--------------------------------

TEXT 121
punarapi nilacale gamana karila, bhakta-gane meliya snana-yatra dekhila

After collecting these books, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu returned to Jagannatha Puri. At that time, the bathing ceremony of Jagannatha was taking place, and He saw it.

Madhya 1.122

anavasare jagannathera na pana darasana, virahe alalanatha karila gamana

When Jagannatha was absent from the temple, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who could not see Him, felt separation and left Jagannatha Puri to go to a place known as Alalanatha.

PURPORT By Shrila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Alalanatha is also known as Brahmagiri. This place is about fourteen miles from Jagannatha Puri and is also on the beach. There is a temple of Jagannatha there. At the present moment a police station and post office are situated there because so many people come to see the temple.

The word anavasara is used when Shri Jagannathaji cannot be seen in the temple. After the bathing ceremony (snana-yatra), Lord Jagannatha apparently becomes sick. He is therefore removed to His private apartment, where no one can see Him. Actually, during this period renovations are made on the body of the Jagannatha Deity. This is called nava-yauvana. During the Ratha-yatra ceremony, Lord Jagannatha once again comes before the public. Thus for fifteen days after the bathing ceremony, Lord Jagannatha is not visible to any visitors.

Madhya 1.123
bhakta-sane dina kata tahani rahila, gaudera bhakta aise, samacara paila

Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu remained for some days at Alalanatha. In the meantime, He received news that all the devotees from Bengal were coming to Jagannatha Puri.

Madhya 1.124
nityananda-sarvabhauma agraha karina, nilacale aila mahaprabhuke la-ina

When the devotees from Bengal arrived at Jagannatha Puri, both Nityananda Prabhu and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya greatly endeavored to take Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu back to Jagannatha Puri.

Madhya 1.125
virahe vihvala prabhu na jane ratri-dine, hena-kale aila gaudera bhakta-gane

When Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu finally left Alalanatha to return to Jagannatha Puri, He was overwhelmed both day and night due to separation from Jagannatha. His lamentation knew no bounds. During this time, all the devotees from different parts of Bengal, and especially from Navadvipa, arrived in Jagannatha Puri.

Madhya 1.126
sabe mili� yukti kari� kirtana arambhila, kirtana-avese prabhura mana sthira haila

After due consideration, all the devotees began chanting the holy name congregationally. Lord Chaitanya�s mind was thus pacified by the ecstasy of the chanting.

PURPORT

Being absolute in all circumstances, Lord Jagannatha�s person, form, picture and kirtana are all identical. Therefore when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, He was pacified. Previously, He had been feeling very morose due to separation from Jagannatha. The conclusion is that whenever a kirtana of pure devotees takes place, the Lord is immediately present. By chanting the holy names of the Lord, we associate with the Lord personally.
---------

TEXT 60
snana-yatra kabe habe puchila bhattere, bhatta kahe,��tina dina achaye yatrare

When the King asked the Bhattacarya when the bathing ceremony [Snana-yatra] of Lord Jagannatha would take place, the Bhattacarya replied that there were only three days left before the ceremony.

Madhya 11.61
rajare prabodhiya bhatta gela nijalaya, snana-yatra-dine prabhura ananda hridaya

After thus encouraging the King, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya returned home. On the day of Lord Jagannatha�s bathing ceremony, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was very happy at heart.

Madhya 11.62
snana-yatra dekhi� prabhura haila bada sukha, isvarera �anavasare� paila bada duhkha

Upon seeing the bathing ceremony of Lord Jagannatha, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became very happy. But when Lord Jagannatha retired after the ceremony, Lord Chaitanya became very unhappy because He could not see Him.

PURPORT

After the bathing ceremony of Shri Jagannatha, which takes place just a fortnight before the Ratha-yatra ceremony, the body of the Lord Jagannatha Deity is repainted, and this takes just about a fortnight to complete. This period is called Anavasara. There are many who visit the temple to see Lord Jagannatha regularly every day, and for them His retirement after the bathing ceremony is unbearable. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu felt Lord Jagannatha�s absence from the temple very much.

Madhya 11.63
gopi-bhave virahe prabhu vyakula hana, alalanathe gela prabhu sabare chadiya

Due to separation from Lord Jagannatha, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu felt the same great anxiety the gopis feel in separation from Krishna. In this condition He gave up all association and went to Alalanatha.

Madhya 11.64
pache prabhura nikata aila bhakta-gana, gauda haite bhakta aise,��kaila nivedana

The devotees who had followed the Lord came into His presence and requested Him to return to Puri. They submitted that the devotees from Bengal were coming to Purushottama-kshetra.

Madhya 11.65
sarvabhauma nilacale aila prabhu lana, prabhu aila,��raja-thani kahilena giya

In this way Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya brought Lord Chaitanya back to Jagannatha Puri. He then went to King Prataparudra and informed him of the Lord�s arrival.

The word dayita refers to one who has received the mercy of the Lord. Lord Jagannatha has a number of stalwart servants known as dayitas. These servants do not come from very high-caste families (brahmanas, kshatriyas or vaisyas), but because they are engaged in the service of the Lord, they have been elevated to a respected position. Thus they are known as dayitas. These servants of Lord Jagannatha take care of the Lord from the day of the Snana-yatra up to the time the Lord is carried from the throne to the Ratha car. In the Kshetra-mahatmya these dayitas are said to come from the sabaras, a caste that keeps and sells pigs. However, among the dayitas there are also many who come from the brahmana caste. Those dayitas coming from the brahmana families are called dayita-patis, or leaders of the dayitas. The dayita-patis offer food such as sweetmeats to Lord Jagannatha during the anavasara, the resting period after Snana-yatra. They also make the early-morning offering of sweetmeats daily. It is said that during the anavasara Lord Jagannatha suffers from fever and that the dayita-patis offer Him an infusion of drugs represented by fruit juice. It is said that in the beginning Lord Jagannatha was worshiped by the sabaras and was known as the Deity Nila Madhava. Later, when the Deity was established in the temple, the Lord became known as Jagannatha. Because the Deities were taken from the sabaras, all the sabara devotees were elevated to the position of dayitas.

-----------------------

Daaso'smi, BR Sadhu Swami Gaurangapada.

Comment on this Post